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Monopoly Millionaire's Club
Monopoly Millionaires' Club (MMC) was a U.S. multi-state lottery game coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), using the Monopoly board game brand under license from Hasbro. Each $5 ticket contained five numbers from 1 through 52, along with a randomly-generated sixth number from 1 through 28 that represented a property from the Monopoly board game. The jackpot began at $15 million and was capped at $25 million; if the jackpot was won, additional prizes of $1 million would be awarded. Tickets also contained a code to "collect" the corresponding property on the MMC website; collecting specific sets of properties made a player eligible for a chance to appear on the Monopoly Millionaires' Club game show to win up to $1 million cash. Ticket sales began on October 19, 2014 in 22 states and the District of Columbia, with the first MMC drawing held on October 24. However, in December, after the Texas Lottery pulled out of the game, and a vote by other MUSL members, Monopoly Millionaires' Club was "suspended" in its current form after the December 26 draw. The suspension was triggered by low ticket sales; critics had argued that the game, with its multiple components, was too complicated for players to understand. As of July 2015, the game was revived as a scratch-off game,Why a Hyped New Lottery Game Went Bust in a Hurry and the game show component was still broadcast. Overview Monopoly Millionaires' Club drawings occurred on Friday nights, with each ticket costing $5 each. To win the jackpot, players must have matched 5 of 52 numbers in the main field (selected manually or through a quick pick), and a sixth number automatically drawn from a second field of 28; the latter represented a property on a U.S. edition Monopoly game board (22 streets, 4 railroads, and 2 utilities); the corresponding property (such as Marvin Gardens for the number 22) was also printed on the ticket. Jackpots started at $15 million, and were capped at $25 million until won. In addition to the five regular numbers plus the property, each ticket contained a 12-digit "Millionaires' Club Number"; in the event that the jackpot was won, additional $1 million raffle prizes were drawn from these numbers. Winners of these prizes also received a special top hat, resembling that worn by Mr. Monopoly. Tickets also contained a 25-character alphanumeric code that could be used to add the ticket's property to a virtual game board on the Monopoly Millionaires' Club website. Collecting certain sets of properties, such as Boardwalk and Park Place, awarded players a varying number of entries towards a chance to appear on a Monopoly Millionaires' Club game show. Payout and Odds † Drawn only if jackpot was won. Ten "Club" numbers were to be drawn if a $15 million jackpot was won; a minimum of 16 were to be chosen with a $25 million (capped) jackpot. Overall odds of winning any prize were approximately 1 in 10. The only MMC jackpot win was for the November 7, 2014 draw (the third MMC drawing); the ticket was purchased in New Jersey. The annuity value of the prize was $21 million. The first $25 million MMC jackpot drawing was the game's seventh, on December 5. Generally, a MMC jackpot winner had a 60-day window (usually after claiming the prize) in which to choose cash or the annuity. Exceptions included New Jersey and Texas, whose lottery regulations require that the choice of cash or annuity be made when playing. Property numbers and names The property numbers are in sequential order as they appear on a standard Monopoly game board, clockwise from "GO": *01 Mediterranean Avenue (brown) *02 Baltic Avenue (brown) *03 Reading Railroad (RR) *04 Oriental Avenue (light blue) *05 Vermont Avenue (light blue) *06 Connecticut Avenue (light blue) *07 St. Charles Place (purple) *08 Electric Company (utility) *09 States Avenue (purple) *10 Virginia Avenue (purple) *11 Pennsylvania Railroad (RR) *12 St. James Place (orange) *13 Tennessee Avenue (orange) *14 New York Avenue (orange) *15 Kentucky Avenue (red) *16 Indiana Avenue (red) *17 Illinois Avenue (red) *18 B. & O. Railroad (RR) *19 Atlantic Avenue (yellow) *20 Ventnor Avenue (yellow) *21 Water Works (utility) *22 Marvin Gardens (yellow) *23 Pacific Avenue (green) *24 North Carolina Avenue (green) *25 Pennsylvania Avenue (green) *26 Short Line (RR) *27 Park Place (dark blue) *28 Boardwalk (dark blue) Number of online entries for completing a monopoly: *Brown: 2 *Light Blue: 4 *Purple: 6 *Orange: 8 *Red: 10 *Yellow: 12 *Green: 15 *Dark Blue: 20 *Railroads: 16 *Utilities: 10 The monopolies representing the railroads, utilities, and two of the eight "color groups" are not in consecutive numerical order. Participating lotteries Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia's D.C. Lottery participated in the launch of Monopoly Millionaires′ Club; an additional nine states were to join during 2015. * Arizona * Arkansas * District of Columbia * Florida * Georgia * Indiana * Iowa * Kentucky * Maine * Maryland * Michigan * Minnesota * Missouri * New Hampshire * New Jersey * New Mexico * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Rhode Island * South Dakota * Tennessee * Texas (suspended sales following the December 12, 2014 drawing) Were to join in 2015 * California * Idaho * Kansas * North Dakota * Ohio * Vermont * Virginia * West Virginia (was to join January 10) * Wisconsin Suspension On December 11, 2014, the Texas Lottery announced that it would suspend its participation in Monopoly Millionaires' Club after the December 12 draw. On December 12, it was announced that the remaining MMC members had voted to suspend the game following its December 26 draw; only 10 drawings were held in total. The suspension came in response to low ticket sales for the game: critics felt that tickets for the game were too expensive, and prior to the first MMC drawing, a writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer expressed concerns that the game was too confusing, citing the "Club" bonus prize system and the property collection for game show entries. Even with these issues, sales of tickets were strongest per capita in Pennsylvania. It is not yet known whether the game will be revived in a revised form. Game show The Monopoly Millionaires' Club game show, hosted by Billy Gardell, is set to premiere in weekly syndication on the weekend of February 7 and 8, 2015. As of October 2014, it had been sold to stations in the 44 states and the District of Columbia (including non-MMC states) where lotteries are held. Taped at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, each episode will feature five contestants playing Monopoly-inspired games to win up to $100,000 each, and the possibility to risk their winnings for a chance to win $1 million. Despite the suspension of the lottery game, the series and a second set of tapings will still go on. Texas Lottery players who "won" a trip-for-two prize package were to receive $10,000 cash instead; the show's contestants and audience members represent the other 22 MMC members. References External links * PlayMMC.com Category:Derivative Games Category:Monopoly